LC connectors are standard industry connectors having generally fixed external size and geometry. However, the manner in which internal parts of LC connectors are conventionally designed and assembled make these types of connectors susceptible to certain problems, both in connector reliability and signal loss.
Optical connectors must withstand at least a certain minimum amount of side-loading in order to operate properly. As is well known in the art, when optical fibers are bent beyond a particular bending radius, signal loss occurs. Therefore, an optical connector needs sufficient side-loading capability in order to prevent the optical fibers housed therein from being bent beyond an allowable bending radius. Although there have been LC connector designs in the industry that have provided the desired side-loading capability and rigidity, such connectors still have been prone to cracking issues under higher loads. For example, in a two-piece assembly design, cracking tends to occur at the locations where the pieces of the connector are coupled together.
Accordingly, a need exists for an optical connector that has desirable side-loading and rigidity characteristics, that is relatively easy to manufacture and assemble, and that has improved features in aspects related to cracking.